Patriots claim Jake Ballard off waivers as Giants' plan backfires

The Giants knew it wasn’t a guarantee that Jake Ballard would sneak through waivers, but it was a calculated risk they took on Monday in what was a plan to avoid having him occupy a roster spot in 2012.

“As I stated yesterday a ‘smart’ football organization might claim (Ballard) while he’s hurt to own his rights. He’s now a Patriot!” Baratz tweeted.

The 24-year-old Ballard walked into the Giants fieldhouse at 4:02 p.m. and remained in the facility for the final hour of the team’s first minicamp practice to say goodbye to teammates, coaches and the training staff.

“While this was very sudden and I am still experiencing a great deal of differing emotions, I wanted to take a moment to say ‘thank you’ and place some closure on a wonderful chapter in my life,” Ballard said in a statement through Baratz. “I will greatly miss my teammates, the fans, the organization, and albeit short-lived, I will forever cherish all the great memories that we created during my time in a Giant uniform.”

The Giants exposed Ballard to waivers to free up a spot on their 90-man roster, which they used to re-sign defensive tackle Rocky Bernard. The intent was to get him to the physically-unable-to-perform/reserve list, which is similar to an injured-reserve designation that would effectively end his season.

A few hours before the unanticipated turn of events, the Giants were sure the waiving was simply a formality and Ballard would return to the team.

“I think that as far as the waiving him, I don’t think that he’s necessarily going to go anywhere,” said fellow tight end Travis Beckum, who is recovering from the less-severe ACL tear he also suffered during Super Bowl XLVI. “I think teams know what his injury is and he’s probably going to miss this year. I don’t think teams are going to take the chance so it’s one of those things where they waive him and bring him back.”

New England, however, decided to take the risk and now that Ballard is a Patriot, New England will have to keep him on the roster through final cuts and into the regular season to avoid placing him back on waivers.

The Patriots can only protect Ballard, who is due $540,000 in 2012, by keeping him on their active physically unable to perform list through the first nine weeks of the season. After that, if they don’t activate him, Ballard will remain on the reserve list for the rest of the year.

After this season, Ballard will be an exclusive-rights free agent, meaning the Patriots would then retain him simply by making a qualifying offer of $630,000 for the 2013 season.

“I am humbled by the opportunity that the Patriots have afforded me and as I have always done, I will bring nothing but hard work, professionalism, and integrity to what is already a world-class organization,” Ballard said in his statement.

After appearing in just one game his rookie year, Ballard broke out last season in place of the departed Kevin Boss and caught 38 receptions for 604 yards and four touchdowns. He perhaps had his best game against the Patriots in Week 9 when he caught a 28-yard pass on third down with 1:07 remaining in the fourth quarter before scoring the game-winning one-yard touchdown with 15 seconds left.

He had two receptions for 10 yards against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI before tearing his ACL.

Though the news is unexpected, Ballard’s departure doesn’t affect the Giants’ plans for the upcoming season.

The team was well-aware of the doctors’ grim diagnosis for Ballard and signed Martellus Bennett on the second day of free agency. They then drafted Adrien Robinson in the fourth round and could have Beckum back in time for the season opener.